Elf

Elves are creatures of pure wild magic. They are the great artists of the world. As the mortal species with the longest lifespan, elves have the time to become truly exceptional master craftsmen, and they use their talents to create breathtaking works of living art infused with wild magic.

The elves have a tight relationship with the multitude of fey creatures that share the Feralroot Woods as their home, such as pixies, dryads, satyrs, treants, and other beings of pure nature. Elven wildshapers are specialized artisans who have learned to use wild magic to craft entire forests full of trees twisted into bizarre and exquisite forms.

Unless directly threatened, elves have little interest in war, preferring to spend their time engaging in revelry and creative pursuits. Artists, playwrights, chefs, winemakers, and poets are much more highly regarded than soldiers in elven society. Elves fight only when absolutely necessary, and even then prefer to use their affinity with wild magic to have their fey and beast allies battle with them.

They are a fiercely isolationist race, and are often regarded as aloof and arrogant, even by their Ardent associates. Elves tend to pity the other mortal races, since they live such short lives, they can never achieve the wisdom and level of artistry of the “first folk” (a nickname the elves have given themselves).

The arrival of Hex did not concern the elves. They have no interest in Hexing Gems, other than as baubles for their jewelry.

One thousand years ago, the elves joined with the humans to drive the shin’hare underground. The hyper-aggressive shin’hare were making relentless attacks on the coyotle and various creatures along the borders of the Feralroot Woods, attempting to enslave them. The shin’hare were such pests that the normally reclusive elves were prompted to take decisive action against them. Of course, the decision to push the shin’hare underground turned out to be a mistake, as the bloodthirsty rabbits were eventually recruited by the necrotic for the devastating Underworld Incursion.

After a century of horrific war, one of the elven Primals, Oberon, was faced with an awful choice: witness the destruction of the surface world, or make a dramatic sacrifice. Inspired by the heroic efforts of the human King Wren, Oberon merged his consciousness with the very essence of wild magic, becoming a great and terrible spirit of nature. Once the Primal chose to martyr himself, Oberon was reborn as an enraged force of pure elemental energy that sought the annihilation of the Underworld invaders. This terrible nature god, combined with the human knights now bonded with the Great Wolves, was finally able to scatter the Underworld forces and bring the conflict to a stalemate.

In the two centuries since the détente began, the elves have once again receded into their woodlands, focusing on their artistic pursuits, but ever-wary of the next potential attack.